Just 8 hours to go on the last day of our Win a Nintendo Wii contest!!! So get your blog posts up and your e-mails in to me before midnight tonight! For any last minute stragglers: Official Rules
And even though it’s not Friday, I’m flashing back (bonus!) to the true Final Countdown…
So tomorrow’s Halloween and we are so not ready. We’ve got all the materials to make our costumes but have yet to actually put them together, let alone try them on. I think it’ll be a bit of a late night tonight, and then lots of last-minute adjustments tomorrow. But as long as the kids have a good time (which they’re almost guaranteed to have), it’s all good.
We’ve got bags and bags of candy ready, mostly mini bags of Kissables. Our oldest son’s allergic to nuts (peanuts and tree nuts) so we definitely want to make sure our candy is safe for him to eat. Plus, we usually bring a bunch of extra bags with us when we go trick or treatin’ and slowly swap them for whatever candy he gets from the neighborhood when he’s not looking. I’ll be sure to take lots of pics, so no worries. And in honor of the big holiday, here’s a quick list of tips for you parents of young kids to help make this Halloween a safe and fun one:
Don’t be a cheapskate. Forget getting rid of your old pennies. Not only are they a choking hazard for the wee ones, but, well, that’s really super lame.
Make your house inviting. You don’t need to spend $5,000 on the latest inflatable Simpsons pumpkin for your yard or paint your house orange. But try to put up some basic decorations on your door, even if it’s a homemade sign you priinted out on your computer. Or a few pumpkins placed by the door. Just something to let families know that you’re participating in the ancient art of Trick or Treating. Oh, and be sure to turn all your outside lights on if you’re home.
Lock up the Pets. Don’t you love when your 3-year-old Diego or Dora is standing by a door holding out a pumpkin while being scared out of his or her mind, only to have the door open and a mammoth canine complete with a 90-decibal bark and saliva-dripping teeth comes barreling to the front door right between the owner’s legs and smack into your little toddler?
Bring a Wagon. If you’ve got real little kids and you’re going to be going around your neighborhood, bring along a wagon. We did this last year with the big Radio Flyer plastic wagon we have and our 2 kids and their friend actually fit in the wagon together, all in costume. Free candy PLUS a free ride equals double the excitement. Plus you can toss extra props, candy, whatever in there if you need to.
Wear layers. Chances are you’ll bring coats with you when you go out trick or treating. And it’ll be hot. Or you’ll leave the coats at home and it’ll be freezing. You just can’t bet on Mother Nature for Halloween. So try wearing layers if possible, which certainly ain’t easy with costumes. Big bulky coats are great to put on and take off right when you get to a front door. And if you get too hot, just toss them in the wagon (see tip #4).
Be Prepared. Something most likely will go wrong with your kids’ costumes, whether they’re store bought or homemade. So bring along extra tape, safety pins and/or velcro for any on-the-go adjustments.
Bring a flashlight. Even if you go early enough, you just never know how long you’ll be out for and that dark night thing comes up faster then you’d think.
Wear comfortable shoes. I know, it could clash with a costume. But no one really looks at your feet anyways and after walking around your neighborhood for 30 minutes carrying extra coats, candy, props, your screaming 2 year old, etc., the last thing you want is sore feet.
Be That Cool House. You don’t have to give out candy just because it’s Halloween. You can always give out comic books, small packets of Play-Doh or anything different and fun that won’t rot your teeth.
Have fun. It’s easy to get caught up in the details and the costume contests and whatnot but throughout it all, remember to have a good time!
Just a reminder that our Win a Nintendo Wii contest ends TOMORROW NIGHT at midnight eastern time. So if you haven’t written your blog post and emailed it in to me at andrew@ultimatecoupons.com, get moving!
I’ll be checking my email all night tomorrow, so be sure to email me as soon as you post it! Good luck!
Or treated. Or both actually… Tish from The Kat House just gave me the Halloween Treat award! It couldn’t have been timed any better either. And no, not because Halloween’s this week, but because today is Monday (which translates loosely in German to “crummiest day of week”) and as luck or Murphy’s Law would have it, I managed to get myself a speeding ticket this morning. Hooray. Even better, it was on my way back from dropping a friend off at his apartment, after spending all morning driving him to and from his doctor’s office across the river for a follow-up visit to some surgery he had last week. Where’s the karma in that I say? Sigh. So anyways, this delicious-looking award was a definite pick-me-up this morning. Thank you very much, Tish! Much appreciated. And while I’m guessing the apples in the pic are caramel covered, I’ll check with the manager to see if I can swap them for those awesome, teeth-shattering hard red candy shell kind.
According to the award’s creator, the Halloween Treat award should be passed “along to ones you think are deserving of a special treat for the season.” Which means, not just regular yahoos who visit and chat on your blog, but even some random commentors. So with that spirit in mind, I choose to pass the treats on to the following folks:
Black Belt Mama- I don’t even know if she’s ever visited this blog, but I’ve been following her’s ever since it was reviewed on BlogsWeLuv. And BBM could use some serious cheering up these days since she tore her ACL. Ack. So hopefully this’ll help, even a little.
Danielle at Pink Internet Marketing - Sure it may be a “girly blog” and decked out in pink, but Danielle offers some great SEO advice and tells it like it is all while she’s learning. Plus, she’s constantly updating her header to tie into various themes. And she loves Chef Boyardee, so need I say more?
Loretta from Just Not Martha - Loretta entered our Win a Wii Contest and has left a few comments since. I’ve checked out her blog (she has a few actually) and they’re all a lot of fun and bounce all over the place. Depending on the day, you may score yourself a recipe, a tip on free candy, or a story about a credit card-eating car. Plus she has excellent taste in Halloween candy so she deserves one o’ these.
Allison at Reality on Bravo - I’m not a fan at all of Reality Shows. Just not my thing. But Allison has such a fun time writing her blog about all the different types of popular shows out there, I can at least appreciate her blog. I still won’t watch any of the shows, though, but at least I’ll keep reading her posts. And you should too!
Polli from Polliwog’s Pond - Even though she certainly doesn’t need any more sugar in the house, not with 6 kids (!), I am always entertained by Polli’s adventures out on “the rock.” She’s funny, considerate, and has the cutest and most relaxing header on any blog I’ve ever seen. I dare you to look at that frog and not feel your anger or cynicism melt away! Go on, try it. Oh and she loves the classic cheesefest that is the “Flash Gordon” movie, so she can do no wrong in my eyes.
COUPON TIME:
Just ’cause I’m giving out awards, doesn’t mean there isn’t time for coupons! And since we’re talking all about treats, here are a few food and sweets-related codes for ya…
Extra 70% off Dining Certificates at Restaurant.com
Use promotional code TREATS. Valid through: October 31, 2007 11:59pm CT This discount is in addition to the everyday discounts at Restaurants.com. So if you buy a $25 Certificate for $10 and use a 70% off coupon, you pay only $3!
$20 off a $75 purchase online at Omaha Steaks
Use the above link to activate the coupon. Discount should appear in your shopping cart. Valid through: December 31, 2007 Note: If you already activated another Omaha Steaks offer, you may have difficulty activating the $20 off coupon.
Free 1 pound box of Assorted Chocolates on $39+ at FannieMay.com
Use key code 10133. Valid through: October 31, 2007 Cannot be combined with any other offers. Qualifying amount does not include shipping and tax. Free 1 pound box of Assorted Chocolates will be sent to the billing address and is automatically added to the order.
My freshman year of college I lived in the dorms. Our building was composed of suites, so every floor had about 5 suites on it with 6 students in each suite (bathrooms and small suite areas were included in each one). It was fun and definitely gave you enough personal space either within your own suite or out in the main hall. My classes on Friday always ended at 3:30 and that one was my worst, most-boringest class ever. British History. I love most things British (the accents, the people, the old TV shows, the music, etc.) and while I’m not a history buff at all, I thought it’d be a neat general class to take. Ugh was I wrong. But that’s because our professor was probably the oldest, most boring man ever to hold a professorship. And he didn’t so much as teach, as he did just rewrite the textbook in outline form on a chalkboard. Every. Single. Time. Zzzzzzz. I’m falling asleep just thinking about it…
Anyways, my head was always ready to explode after that class and moreso after a long week. So one Friday I came back to my suite at 3:3o and put on the Hooters’ “Nervous Night” CD. It instantly relaxed me and kind of kicked off the weekend a little earlier than most people would think. It quickly became a Friday ritual and every week the girls across the hall would come over and say “Hooters Friday! Andrew’s back!” So in honor of those good times that helped kick off the weekends, I give you an oldie but a very goodie:
The Hooters - And We Danced
COUPON TIME:
This one’s a toughie. I could play off the word Hooters and come up with some bra coupons, but that’s a bit of a stretch (no pun intended!) and to racy I think. Heh. Or I could find some travel coupons related to Philadelphia, since that’s where The Hooters’ roots are. But that’s too specific. So instead, I’m zooming out a bit and like the song and my memories of it, I’m offering up some photo coupons, which are all about memories and reliving the good times.
25% off an order of $30 or more at Kodak Gallery
Use coupon code TRICKORTREAT Valid through: November 6, 2007 25% off does not apply to Same-Day Pickup Service, Gift Certificates, Photostamps, KODAK PhotoShow DVD, shipping fees, KODAK Cameras and other KODAK products or services sold through www.kodak.com, subscription fees for the KODAK Gallery Premier and Mobile services, or products for mobile phones. Can be used one time per customer. Cannot be combined with other offers.
20% off Photo Gift orders of $20+ at Kodak EasyShare Gallery
Use coupon code ANYONE. Valid through: October 31, 2007 20% off does not apply to Prints, Gift Certificates, Photostamps, KODAK PhotoShow DVD, shipping fees, KODAK Cameras and other KODAK products or services sold through www.kodak.com, subscription fees for the KODAK Gallery Premier and Mobile services, or products for mobile phones. Can be used one time per customer. Valid only at www.kodakgallery.com.
Free Standard Shipping on orders of $10 or more at PhotoWorks.com
Enter code FREESHIP. Valid through: October 31, 2007 Offer excludes prepaid prints and gift certificates. Valid on orders shipped to the continental U.S. only. Limited to one use per account. Cannot be combined with other coupons.
10% off your order at PhotoWorks.com
Enter code 10OFF Valid through: October 31, 2007 Coupon cannot be combined with other offers. Only one coupon can be applied per order. Coupon cannot be used on prepaid prints, gift certificates, storefronts or shipping and handling charges. Offer good only for orders placed online at photoworks.com. Limited to one use per account.
25 FREE 4×6 digital prints from PhotoWorks.com
Plus, New Customers get 25 additional Prints!
Enter code 25FREEPRINTS Valid through: October 31, 2007 Offer does not apply to shipping and handling. Regular price for 4×6 digital prints is $0.19 each. Limited to one use per account.
My coffee-lovin’ buddy Christy tagged me with the Blue Tea meme recently. Usually I groan and let these things pile up and then tackle them all at once, but I figured I should try responding to them a bit quicker to ease my pain. Kinda like ripping off a Band-Aid. Plus Christy’s too nice of a person to turn down a cup of tea. I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. And this one does sound kinda fun. So here goes.
According to the original poster, the rules for this meme are:
“Devise a list of 5-10 courses you would take to fix your life. It’s more fun to be in classes with friends, so include one class from the person who tagged you that you’d also like to take. Tag five. ”
So here’s my curriculum:
1) Tennis lessons - While it could be fun to take a journalism class with Christy, I’ve taken more than my fair share in college, so I think I’d rather take tennis lessons to really improve my game.
2) Photography - I’ve always been fascinated with photography. My dad used to have some crazy camera with all sorts of lenses and even developed his own film in our darkroom (a.k.a. the laundry room with the lights off). I’ve got a real nice SLR digital cam that takes great pics, but I’d love to really learn how to use that thing in terms of lighting, apertures, F stops and all that crazy photog lingo.
3) Photoshop/Illustrator - I have very basic knowledge of these 2 great Adobe programs (i can resize, adjust levels, etc.), but I really should take a few Photoshop classes. I’m a terrible artist, so I don’t care about learning the art style, but I’d love to learn how to best manipulate photos, create logos, etc.
4) Japanese - For some reason I’ve just loved Japanese culture for as long as I can remember. The food, the art, the style, etc. I’m also a big fan of languages and Japanese is one I really want to learn but would need classes for, since it’s way different than say something like Spanish or French.
5) Car maintenance - I can pump gas in my car and call for service when the little green or orange light pops up on my dash. But that’s about it. I’d love to take one of those intro car repair courses where they teach you about the engine parts, how to change your oil, etc.
And now I’m tagging the following blogging folks to go back to school for a bit, if they’re up for it:
And even though this was a meme, I’m still gonna tie in a coupon! Since it’s called the Blue Tea meme and Christy’s Coffee Break tagged me, I’m gonna offer up some great coffee/tea coupons:
There’s just 1 week left in our Win a Nintendo Wii contest! So if you haven’t entered yet, well, then you can’t really win can you? At last count, we were still under 100 entries, so that’s incredibly good odds for anyone who enters!
Just don’t forget to email in your entries once they’re posted, or else we won’t be able to include you in the drawing. Good luck and keep those great posts coming. (And yes, we finally had someone write a poem as an entry!)
Contest ends October 31, 2007 at 11:59pm ET, so move it!
Everyone’s heard of two left feet, right? Er, correct? Yeah, that’d be me. Can’t dance for squat. But have you ever heard of unlucky feet? Well somehow, somewhere, my wife managed to grab herself a pair of real unlucky ones. Don’t believe me? Okay, here’s my proof:
Evidence A: The sprains.
Way before we were even married, we were hanging out at my company’s holiday party. It was the end of the night and a few of us were just having fun on the dance floor. Sure enough, she does some crazy move and, BAM, sprains her ankle. Which she’d actually done a number of times before I ever even met her. She also sprained it at least once that I recall when we were in college together and another time right when she started teaching in New York City. And she also sprained it before our first son was born. She went hiking one day with a friend and at the absolute top of the mountain, she twisted her ankle and had her 4′11″ friend carry her allll the way down! (And since we didn’t know if she was pregnant or not at the time, she didn’t take anything stronger then advil, didn’t get it x-rayed, etc. She’s a definite trooper.)
Evidence B: No Snorkeling for You
On our Honeymoon in Hawaii we didn’t do much. Yes, a big part of that is my fault, since I just slept late every morning. Like till 11 or 12. And we didn’t even go to bed that late. I just liked sleeping. (Guess I’m making up for that now…) But we did want to go snorkeling while we there. Except… my recent bride had a blister or cut or something on her foot from having worn new shoes that didn’t fit right. It got real painful, so we went to the ER on the island and got some antibiotics and cream for it. The only thing was… she had to keep it dry for a few days. So there we were. On an island. Surrounded by water. (Yeah, that’s what an island is.) And she couldn’t get her feet wet. So that’s one thing she still owes me, snorkeling. But we did get to go on a submarine ride which was a lot of fun.
Evidence C: Get the Point
The final proof? And this is my sharpest argument overall. Our first son was probably about a year old at the time. I had just given notice at my job and lined up two full weeks off before I started the new one. Lots of time to decompress, do things around the house, etc. So there I was on the treadmill enjoying the start of my time off when my wife’s upstairs making dinner. I head up when I’m finished, we’re talking in the kitchen and she’s cutting an avocado… with a crazy sharp way-too-big ginsu-type knife. For an avocado. Which you can cut with a spoon. At some point, it slips out of her hand, falls perfectly straight down, jabs her foot on top and bounces off. She probably couldn’t have done that if she tried. I think I was more freaked out then her. But we got the babysitters over, raced to the ER and long story short… she ended up severing a tendon in her foot that they had to operate on the next day. How’s that for bad luck?
So there you have it. Irrefutable proof that my wife has very unlucky feet. Sure they may be cute feet but they’re definitely unlucky. (And no, I’m not just saying that in case she’s actually reading this post…) And with all this talk about feet, it must be time for a coupon about shoes! I’m actually listing a few, since there are some great all-around deals.
COUPON TIME:
$5 off & Free Overnight Shipping at Endless
This new mega-shoe shop from the folks behind Amazon.com not only offers free overnight shipping, but for a limited time you can get also get $5 off your order!
20% off a purchase of $99 or more at FootLocker.com
Use this link to activate the coupon. You should see promotional code LKS17TB2 in the box during checkout. Valid through: October 31, 2007 11:59pm CT Not valid on gift cards or team orders. Some items are excluded and will say “This item is currently excluded from any promotional discounts” under the product description. Not valid on prior purchases or open orders. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Order value must total $99 or more before taxes, shipping and handling.
15% off & Free Shipping with a purchase of $50+ at FootSmart
Use code WG000296. Valid online only. Standard Shipping within the Continental U.S. only. Additional shipping charges to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Territories and APO/FPO addresses still apply. Additional fees apply for Expedited Shipping and multiple shipping destinations. Cannot be combined with other promotion codes. Not valid on previously placed orders or for shipments to Canada.
Buy One Get One 1/2 Off at Payless ShoeSource Valid through: October 30, 2007 11:59pm CT Buy one, get second item of equal or lesser value for 1/2 off the Payless ShoeSource marked price.
$15 off orders of $100 or more at Shoes.com
Excludes Sale Items
Use coupon: octsave. Valid through: November 5, 2007 11:59pm CT Excluded Brands: Allen-Edmonds, BRUNOMAGLI, K-Swiss, Lucchese, Merrell, Royal Elastics, Puma, Burton, Ugg, Crocs, Dansko, LAMB, Stuart Weitzman, Ecco, Mephisto, Keen and MBT. Valid only on orders shipped to the U.S.
Shipping is Free at Zappos.com
No minimum order size! Plus, a 365-day return policy (with free return shipping) and a 110% Price Protection policy.
It’s no secret I’m a child of the ’80s and still surround myself with video games, toys, music and cartoons from the bubble gum decade. So I figured it was time I started a weekly flashback column to reminisce. After all, Danielle’s Flashback Friday posts are my favorite things to check out on MsDanielle.com every week. And Christy’s recent posting of a classic A-Ha video really clinched it for me. (Especially since she didn’t take the obvious popular route of embedding the band’s mega-hit “Take on Me.”)
So from the same cheesy era, here’s one of my favorites from another one-hit-wonder band:
Cutting Crew - I Just Died in Your Arms
And what would a post be without coupons? Nothing says retro (no matter what your age bracket) then Time Life with its oldies but goodies CD and DVD collections!
Swimming lessons have scarred me for life. Not that I’m afraid of water or of swimming. Not at all. I’m a decent swimmer, enjoy riding the waves at the beach, and will even jump off the crazy high diving board at our local town pool. No, it’s not the act of swimming that put the fear of Neptune into me… it was the learning.
I must’ve been 7 or 8 I’d guess. Maybe a little younger. Anyways, my mom decided it was time for me to learn how to swim, so she enrolled me in classes at the local YMCA, along with my neighborhood friend Eddie. As luck would have it, my other friend Damon happened to be in the class too. Woo! Now the lessons themselves were standard lessons and I guess they worked, because I learned how to swim. And it wasn’t the teacher or the water or anyone in the class that frightened me. It was that one day…
After class one day Eddie, Damon and I went to the boy’s locker room to change out of our bathing suits, and we’d run around, play hide and seek, the usual things kids do together. Well at some point, I got the brilliant idea to hide in one of the lockers. They weren’t full giant size lockers, but big enough for a small kid to fit in. So I got in, closed the door and hid quietly waiting. (I’m damn good at finding the perfect hiding spots, if I do say so myself.) Unfortunately, I was too good in this case. They couldn’t find me and I eventually burst the door open to surprise them… except… well, the door didn’t open. It was stuck. My friends were laughing and telling me to get out, and then they quickly realized I couldn’t. So they started to panic and frantically tried to open it but couldn’t. I don’t remember much else, except lots of tears, screams and Eddie running out to get my mom, who had to come into the Men’s locker room to get me out. Which she eventually did. Awesome.
COUPON TIME:
Let’s see. Locker coupons? Nope. Village People CD sale? Not a chance. Ah, I’ve got it! Avoid going to the Y and getting yourself trapped in a locker… instead, get yourself a home gym and use one of these super spiffy Bowflex coupons:
$300 off a Bowflex Ultimate or Bowflex Xtreme Home Gym
Use promo code AW47SAVE3. Valid through: November 1, 2007 11:59pm PT Excludes the Xtreme XTLU and Bowflex Revolution Home Gym. Cannot be combined with other offers and excludes previously placed orders. Offer not valid at retail stores or outlets.
$300 off any Bowflex TreadClimber cardio machine
Use promo code AT47SAVE3. Valid through: November 1, 2007 11:59pm PT Cannot be combined with other offers and excludes previously placed orders. Offer not valid at retail stores or outlets.
$500 off & Free Shipping on a Bowflex Xtreme XTLU home gym
Now only $799! Use promotional code XTREMEDEAL7. Valid through: November 1, 2007 11:59pm PT Cannot be combined with other offers and excludes previously placed orders. Offer not valid at retail stores or outlets. Free shipping available for orders within the continental U.S. only.
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So tomorrow’s Halloween and we are so not ready. We’ve got all the materials to make our costumes but have yet to actually put them together, let alone try them on. I think it’ll be a bit of a late night tonight, and then lots of last-minute adjustments tomorrow. But as long as the kids have a good time (which they’re almost guaranteed to have), it’s all good.
Or treated. Or both actually… Tish from The Kat House just gave me the Halloween Treat award! It couldn’t have been timed any better either. And no, not because Halloween’s this week, but because today is Monday (which translates loosely in German to “crummiest day of week”) and as luck or Murphy’s Law would have it, I managed to get myself a speeding ticket this morning. Hooray. Even better, it was on my way back from dropping a friend off at his apartment, after spending all morning driving him to and from his doctor’s office across the river for a follow-up visit to some surgery he had last week. Where’s the karma in that I say? Sigh. So anyways, this delicious-looking award was a definite pick-me-up this morning. Thank you very much, Tish! Much appreciated. And while I’m guessing the apples in the pic are caramel covered, I’ll check with the manager to see if I can swap them for those awesome, teeth-shattering hard red candy shell kind.
My coffee-lovin’ buddy Christy tagged me with the Blue Tea meme recently. Usually I groan and let these things pile up and then tackle them all at once, but I figured I should try responding to them a bit quicker to ease my pain. Kinda like ripping off a Band-Aid. Plus Christy’s too nice of a person to turn down a cup of tea. I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. And this one does sound kinda fun. So here goes.
There’s just 1 week left in our Win a Nintendo Wii contest! So if you haven’t entered yet, well, then you can’t really win can you? At last count, we were still under 100 entries, so that’s incredibly good odds for anyone who enters!
Everyone’s heard of two left feet, right? Er, correct? Yeah, that’d be me. Can’t dance for squat. But have you ever heard of unlucky feet? Well somehow, somewhere, my wife managed to grab herself a pair of real unlucky ones. Don’t believe me? Okay, here’s my proof:
Swimming lessons have scarred me for life. Not that I’m afraid of water or of swimming. Not at all. I’m a decent swimmer, enjoy riding the waves at the beach, and will even jump off the crazy high diving board at our local town pool. No, it’s not the act of swimming that put the fear of Neptune into me… it was the learning.
